The National Council for Arts and Culture, in partnership with the Council for Creative Technology Futures, has announced the opening of applications for the 2025 NAFEST Hackathon. According to the organisers, the event is designed to bring developers, innovators, founders, and creative entrepreneurs together to build what they describe as “the next generation of digital tools that will shape Nigeria’s creative future.” They added that the hackathon is open to anyone ready to build, disrupt, and transform the country’s fast-growing creative economy.
The competition focuses on fashion, film, music, design, crafts, gaming, and literature, noting that participants are expected to create digital solutions that can scale creative enterprise, increase monetization, and unlock new market opportunities. The theme for this edition is Innovate to Scale: Digital Solutions for Creative Enterprise, reflecting a strong push for technology-driven growth in creative industries.
Participants are encouraged to submit ideas in key areas including e-commerce for creatives, digital service platforms for music, audio, and video, SVOD platforms for film and cultural education, influencer and creator tools for monetization, creative marketplaces linking artisans to global buyers, and data and analytics tools that support audience growth. The organisers explained that these categories were chosen to support innovation and encourage solutions that address real market needs.
Prizes include N4 million for the first-place winner along with AWS kits, visibility, and acceleration support through ISN Hubs and Startup South. Second place receives N2 million, third place N1 million, fourth place N500,000, and fifth place N250,000, all with AWS kits and visibility. Consolation prizes for sixth to tenth place also include AWS kits and visibility.
The event will take place at Hall 2, International Conference Centre, Enugu. Applications for the NAFEST Hackathon close on 24 November, and interested participants can register through this form Link.
